


at the beginning with you

by empressearwig



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen, Post-Series, Pre-Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-24
Updated: 2014-06-24
Packaged: 2018-02-06 02:58:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1841764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/empressearwig/pseuds/empressearwig
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Becoming Kid Flash.</p>
            </blockquote>





	at the beginning with you

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BlueManta](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueManta/gifts).



**July 10, 2008  
Central City**

"Hey, kid."

Wally looked up from his Nintendo DS to see Uncle Barry standing in the door to his hospital room. It was the first time that he'd come to see Wally since Wally had blown up the garage in what his parents had taken to calling "the incident" when they thought Wally wasn't listening. They didn't seem to realize that Wally was _always_ listening. How else was he going to find anything out?

Wally's heart rate sped up, not that it needed much help with that these days. But if Uncle Barry was here, maybe he was forgiven. Maybe he was going to get what he'd wanted after all. Maybe it all was going to be worth it. Maybe he should talk.

"Hi," he said dumbly. "What are you doing here?"

Uncle Barry raised an eyebrow and stepped farther into the room. "Can't I visit my favorite nephew when he's recuperating in the hospital?"

_Oh_.

Wally deflated. "Sure," he said, trying not to look disappointed. "It's just that you hadn't. Visited, I mean. But that's cool. You were probably busy trying to save the world or something. I get it." He winced and felt his cheeks turn bright red. He looked down at the scratchy blue bedspread. "I'm going to stop talking now, I swear."

"You're right," Uncle Barry said.

Wally blinked and risked looking up at his uncle. "I am?"

Uncle Barry nodded. "Can I?" he asked, gesturing towards the chair next to Wally's bed, where his mom had practically taken up residence for the past three days.

Wally nodded. "Sure."

Uncle Barry sat down. "I should have visited," he said. "I'm sorry that I didn't." He rapped his knuckles against the top of Wally's head. "You're important to me, kid."

Wally ducked his head, embarrassed. He knew that, sure, but that didn't mean Uncle Barry needed to _say_ it. "Thanks," he muttered.

"You're welcome," Uncle Barry said, sounding amused at Wally's discomfort. "When are the doctors going to spring you from this place?"

Wally frowned, and tried to remember the conversations he wasn't supposed to have been able to hear. "Soon, I think. There's nothing really wrong with me anymore, not that they can find, anyway. Or that they know how to fix. I think the doctors are just scared of my mom."

Uncle Barry laughed. "Do you blame them?"

Wally shook his head. " _No_ ," he said vehemently. "Not even a little bit."

Uncle Barry laughed again and this time Wally did too. This was nice. Almost back to normal, even if they were ignoring the exploded garage of an elephant in the backyard. 

Finally, Uncle Barry stopped laughing and put his serious face back on. He asked, "So, do you want to know why it took me so long to get here?"

Wally hesitated for just a second, then nodded. Not knowing would be worse. It had to be.

"I had to meet with the Justice League," Uncle Barry said. "See if they were okay with me taking on an apprentice." 

"An apprentice?" Wally croaked, his rapidly beating heart in his throat.

"A sidekick," Uncle Barry said. He leaned forward, his eyes fixed firmly on Wally's face. "You know anyone who might be interested?"

Wally was almost scared to breathe, because there was no way he'd heard Uncle Barry right. And if he hadn't heard him right, Wally didn't want to risk asking and actually being told he was wrong. Not knowing for sure was good. Not knowing for sure was _great_.

Uncle Barry frowned at him. "I'd expected more of a response. Jumping for joy, even."

Wally gulped. "Does that--" he tried to say, then cleared his throat and tried again. "Does that mean you meant it?"

"Hey," Uncle Barry said, the seriousness in his voice matching the expression on his face, "have I ever lied to you, kid?"

"No," Wally said slowly, dragging the word out. "I guess not."

"Well, then," Uncle Barry said, like that solved everything. "Are you interested or not? These kind of offers, they don't come around every day." He shuddered dramatically. "I had to ask Batman's permission, Wally. I wouldn't do that for just anyone."

Wally smiled, just a little. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," Uncle Barry said. He rapped his knuckles on Wally's head again. "So say yes already, and make it worth my while."

" _Yes_ ," Wally said. He grinned so hard that his face hurt. "I'll make you proud, Uncle Barry, I swear I will. I'll be the best sidekick ever."

Uncle Barry smiled and held out his hand for Wally to shake. "Sounds like a pretty good deal to me."

"Me too," Wally said. "When do we start?"

"Let's get you out of this hospital first," Uncle Barry said. "In the meantime, why don't you think about what you're going to call yourself. I was thinking Kid Flash sounded pretty good myself."

"Kid Flash," Wally repeated back to him. He grinned and nodded, saying it again. "Kid Flash. I like it."

"Kid," Uncle Barry said, "I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship."

**June 25, 2016  
Central City**

"I'm sorry," Barry said.

He didn't look down at the tombstone that was inscribed with Wally's name and the far too brief years of his life. A block of granite wasn't a replacement for Wally's face and the permanent memorial wasn't adequate compensation for the years they'd all lost. 

And it didn't matter how many times that the people who had the most right to blame him for Wally's death told him that they didn't, that it wasn't Barry's fault at all, Barry knew better.

He'd sat at Wally's bedside eight years before and offered him this life. He'd led Wally to this death.

It was Barry's fault and there was nothing he could do to ever make it right.

Barry bent low and brushed his fingers across the rough granite of Wally's tombstone. "I miss you, kid. I wish..." Barry shook his head and straightened. Wishing wouldn't do either of them any good. Not any longer.

"I'm sorry," he said again.

Barry turned to leave the cemetery and he didn't let himself look back.


End file.
